Major fire in sweet making unit

The fire, which started at the kitchen of Ashok Khandelval8217;s Samrat hotel-cum-sweet making unit around 4 am, spread fast as a large quantity of fuel, ghee and edible oil stacked in it caught fire.

Panic gripped the entire area as two out of the six liquefied petroleum gas LPG cylinders kept in the kitchen exploded. The structure of the restaurant as well as the adjoining tin shed turned into an inferno within minutes. A team of over 50 firemen led by Pune Municipal Corporation8217;s chief fire officer L N Raut was deployed to prevent the blaze from spreading to adjoining buildings.

The blaze was brought under control within half an hour. However, it could not be put out totally for the next one hour. Central Fire Brigade sent eight fire tenders and two tankers to carry out the fire fighting exercise.